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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24332602">The Missing Piece</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/blk0912/pseuds/blk0912'>blk0912</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Law &amp; Order: SVU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Barson, Barsonoah, F/M, Mostly Fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:22:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,544</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24332602</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/blk0912/pseuds/blk0912</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rafael is suspicious of Sheila Porter. Olivia tells him not to worry, but he doesn't listen. (My fix for Gone Baby Gone)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rafael Barba/Olivia Benson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>60</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Missing Piece</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I've seen a few of these missing scene or fix its for Gone baby Gone and got inspired to write one of my own...so here it is.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/>
<p>Pretending to look through a nearby rack, Rafael watched Sheila carefully. He’d had a feeling there was an ulterior motive to the woman’s request to buy Noah a new winter jacket, but Olivia had insisted there was none. As much as he trusted her instincts, he just couldn’t shake the feeling, so he’d asked Carmen to clear his afternoon schedule and he’d arrived in the store shortly before Sheila and Noah.</p>
<hr/>
<p>He could see Noah in front of the mirror, trying to decide if he liked the coat his grandmother had picked out. In his opinion, it was ugly and a bit much, but if the kid liked it, then that was the end of the discussion. He’d gotten to know Noah quite a bit over the last few months as he and Olivia had gotten closer and he was pretty sure the kid hated the coat but was trying to be polite.</p>
<hr/>
<p>While Sheila’s back was turned, he saw an older man begin to lure Noah away. Frowning, he followed them, briefly hearing Sheila call for the boy a few moments later when she turned back around and didn’t see him standing there. Rafael rolled his eyes as he kept a close watch on Noah. The woman was clearly faking it.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The man and Noah had nearly made it to the entry way when Rafael got close enough where he felt he could get the little boy’s attention.</p>
<p>“Noah, <em>amigo</em>!” he called, hoping the Spanish word would tip him off.</p>
<p>Turning at the sound of the familiar voice, Noah saw Rafael standing nearby. When he attempted to tug his hand out of the older man’s at his side, he felt stuck. “Let go! I want to go to Rafa!” he said.</p>
<p>“Come on, kid, we’re going to be late,” the man replied, trying to pull Noah in the direction of the doors.</p>
<p>“No!” Noah repeated, his voice getting louder as he continued. “I don’t want to go with you anymore! I want to go with Rafa!”</p>
<p>“Is everything okay here?” a new voice asked, and Rafael turned to see a security guard had approached them.</p>
<p>“That man is trying to abduct my friend’s son,” he said, resisting the urge to try to get to Noah himself. He didn’t want the little boy to get hurt and he had no idea if the other man had weapons or what his motivation was in helping Sheila.</p>
<p>“My mom is a police officer!” Noah practically screamed, tears forming in his eyes as he tried to get the older man to release him.</p>
<p>“Lieutenant Olivia Benson. Manhattan SVU.” Rafael added.</p>
<p>The security guard nodded, turning to the older man that was still holding Noah’s hand. “Sir, I need you to let the boy go. We’ll keep him with us until his mother can pick him up.”</p>
<p>“I’m supposed to bring him to her. She called me and asked me to. We’re…old friends…” the man replied.</p>
<p>“No you’re not!” Noah insisted, turning tearful eyes to Rafael.</p>
<p>“Let the boy go,” the security guard repeated, more firmly this time, as he stepped closer.</p>
<p>When the man still refused to do as he was instructed, the security guard grabbed the man’s wrist with one hand and attempted to release the man’s grip on Noah’s hand with the other. The older man had a surprisingly tight grip and Noah was getting more emotional by the second. It wasn’t until a second security guard came to assist them that they got Noah’s hand free. Rafael immediately moved forward and scooped the boy up in his arms.</p>
<p>“I’ve got you, <em>amigo</em>,” he soothed, rubbing a hand up and down the little boy’s back.</p>
<p>“Rafa,” Noah said tearfully, burying his face in Rafael’s shoulder as he continued to cry. “I want my mom.”</p>
<p>“I know, <em>amigo</em>, you’ll see her soon,” Rafael assured him before turning to another nearby security guard. “Is there somewhere we can go to ensure he stays safe until his mother gets here?”</p>
<p>The guard nodded, leading them down a nearby hallway and into a small office. Taking a seat in a chair, Rafael shifted Noah onto his lap and then pulled out his cell phone.</p>
<p>“Rafa, I can’t talk, Noah’s missing!” he heard Olivia say as she answered.</p>
<p>“I’ve got him, Liv,” he said as calmly as he could manage. Truthfully, he’d been afraid that he wouldn’t be able to save Noah.</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“I may have disobeyed your orders to stay away from the mall.”</p>
<p>He heard Olivia let out a watery-sounding laugh. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so grateful for your stubbornness, Rafa.”</p>
<p>Rafael smirked a little at her words. “We’re in the police office at the mall.”</p>
<p>“I’m on my way.”</p>
<p>“I know.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>After hanging up with Olivia, Rafael turned his attention back to the boy in his lap. “You okay, <em>amigo</em>?”</p>
<p>Noah leaned against him, cuddling close. “I was scared.”</p>
<p>Rafael hugged him tightly, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “You told them your mom is a police officer just like she told you to do. But you can’t go off with people you don’t know.”</p>
<p>“Grandma Sheila said he was a friend. I’ve met him before.”</p>
<p>“When?”</p>
<p>“He was with her the last couple of times I was at her house.”</p>
<p>Rafael silently cursed Trevor Langan’s incompetence. If he’d done his research in the first place, they’d probably never be in this mess. He was going to convince Olivia to get Noah a new lawyer. Hell, he’d stay up late researching family law specifics himself if he had to. He would do whatever he had to do to ensure that Sheila Porter never set even eyes on Noah again, let alone be allowed to spend time with him.</p>
<p>“I’m glad you were here today, Rafa,” Noah mumbled.</p>
<p>“Me, too, <em>amigo</em>. Me, too.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Rushing into the office she’d been directed to, Olivia let out a sigh of relief when she saw Noah cuddling with Rafael in a nearby chair.</p>
<p>“Noah!” she said, reaching for her son, who promptly launched himself at her.</p>
<p>“Mom!”</p>
<p>Hugging him tightly, Olivia closed her eyes and relished in the feeling of him in her arms for a few moments. Opening her eyes, she saw Rafael watching them. “Thank you,” she told him.</p>
<p>Rafael nodded as he stood. “Let’s get out of here.”</p>
<p>“I want Rafa to carry me,” Noah said, turning and reaching up for him.</p>
<p>“Whatever you want, <em>amigo</em>,” Rafael told him, scooping him up once more and settling him on his hip, using his free hand to wrap around Olivia’s hip and lead her out of the office. When she moved closer and wrapped her arm around his waist, he smiled a bit to himself. He’d had a feeling that they were heading in the direction of more than friendship, and he was perfectly fine with that development.</p>
<hr/>
<p>When they got to Olivia’s apartment, the rest of the squad was waiting for them. Carisi was in the kitchen cooking something, Amanda and Fin sitting on the nearby barstools and talking with him, and Jesse was sitting on the couch playing with a doll.</p>
<p>“How’s he doing?” Amanda asked Olivia as she met the older woman in the entryway while Rafael and Noah continued into the apartment, raising her eyebrows at the sight of Noah cuddling in Rafael’s arms.</p>
<p>“He’s unharmed, but I might just wring Sheila Porter’s neck. I think Rafa might beat me to it, though.”</p>
<p>“Really.”</p>
<p>“Not today, Amanda,” Olivia pleaded, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.</p>
<p>“I think it’s great,” Amanda told her, smiling a little at the surprised look on her friend’s face when she opened her eyes. “Please. Ya’ll are able to speak some like freaky silent language that’s borderline telepathic and he’s holding your son like it’s the most natural thing in the world.”</p>
<p>“He’s the first person…probably ever…that has made me feel like I can just be <em>me</em>. I don’t have to be Lieutenant Benson or the strong shoulder to cry on. We were supposed to be working last night, but I ended up blurting out all of my Sheila-related fears instead.”</p>
<p>“My childhood best friend, Betsy, I always heard her parents talk about the other being like a missing puzzle piece…and I think that’s what you and Barba are. Each other’s missing puzzle piece.”</p>
<p>Olivia smiled a little at Amanda’s words. Watching Rafael with Noah, she knew the other woman was right. Rafael was the missing piece in her and Noah’s lives. She hoped they were the missing pieces in Rafael’s life, too.</p>
<p>“Go talk to him, take a few minutes. Fin, Carisi, and I will keep an eye on Noah.”</p>
<p>“Thank you.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Shortly after setting Noah on his feet and watching the boy walk over to Jesse, Rafael felt someone tugging grab his hand and lace their fingers with his. Looking over, he smiled when he saw Olivia standing there.</p>
<p>“Can we talk?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Of course,” he replied, following her when she led him down the hall to her bedroom.</p>
<hr/>
<p>“You okay?” Rafael asked once Olivia had shut her door.</p>
<p>Tears starting to fall, she shook her head. “I almost lost him, Rafa,” she said, stepping close and wrapping her arms around his waist as she buried her face in his shoulder.</p>
<p>Rafael wrapped his arms tightly around her, one hand reaching up to run his fingers through her hair. “I know, <em>querida</em>, but you didn’t. He’s here and he’s safe, and so help me God, Sheila Porter will never even set eyes on that boy again.”</p>
<p>Olivia let out a water laugh as she turned her head to rest it against his shoulder. “I had a feeling you were going to say something like that.”</p>
<p>“Noah is getting a new lawyer. Hell, I’ll do it myself if that’s what it takes.”</p>
<p>“Okay.”</p>
<p>Surprised at the lack of argument, Rafael simply repeated her words. “Okay?”</p>
<p>Olivia nodded. “I trust you. I know you’ll find him the best lawyer, aside from yourself, of course.”</p>
<p>Rafael chuckled and nodded, resting his head against hers. “I’m sorry for not listening to you.”</p>
<p>“Don’t be. You saved my little boy, Rafa. I can’t even begin to tell you what that means to me.”</p>
<p>“He told the security guards that you are police officer.”</p>
<p>Olivia smiled. “So he was listening when I told him to do that if he ever got lost or felt he was in trouble.”</p>
<p>“He was; he was just more interested in his Legos.”</p>
<p>“I stepped on one of those after you left last night.”</p>
<p>Rafael couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “If your son’s toy box wasn’t merely decorative, that might not have happened.”</p>
<p>Olivia simply sighed and shrugged; content to stay where she was for right now.</p>
<p>“Liv?” Rafael asked a few minutes later.</p>
<p>“Hmm?”</p>
<p>“What are we doing?”</p>
<p>Olivia raised her head to look at him. “What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“I mean this. Us. Whatever this is between us.”</p>
<p>“You’re my best friend, Rafa. My missing puzzle piece.”</p>
<p>“Huh?”</p>
<p>“It’s something Amanda was saying earlier. You’re the missing piece in Noah’s and my life. No matter if I’d had a good or bad day; you’re the one I want to share it with. I want to spend nights cuddled on the couch with you and Noah. I want to come home to you and Noah cooking dinner, and you teaching him Spanish. I want everything with you. I love you.”</p>
<p>“<em>Dios</em>,” Rafael sad softly as he processed Olivia’s words. He knew, without any doubt, that he felt the same way. He thought he’d been in love when he was younger, but whatever that had been paled in comparison to what he felt for not only Olivia, but Noah, too. “I love you, too,” he said before leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers.</p>
<p>Olivia’s heart soared as she heard Rafael’s words. She could most definitely get used to this. She just wished it hadn’t taken her son’s almost-kidnapping to make it happen. But she wasn’t going to reject her feelings anymore, either. She loved Rafael and she knew Noah did too. They’d figure out the rest, the three of them together.</p>
<p>“Stay?” she asked when they broke apart.</p>
<p>“Will Noah be okay with that?”</p>
<p>“A bedtime story from you tonight plus breakfast with you in the morning? He’ll love it. So, please, will you stay?”</p>
<p>“Of course, <em>cariño</em>.”</p>
<p>Olivia smiled. The nicknames were new, but she liked them. Then she decided to clue Rafael in on something she’d been debating whether or not to tell him.  “<em>Ven, mi amor. Tenemos amigos esperándonos</em>.”</p>
<p>Rafael’s steps faltered at her words. “You speak Spanish?!” he asked.</p>
<p>“<em>Sí, junto con Italiano, Francés y Húngaro</em>.”</p>
<p>“So that day you walked into my office and I was swearing under my breath in Spanish….and you were laughing at me but wouldn’t tell me why…it was because I didn’t know you understood every word?”</p>
<p>“Guilty,” Olivia said with a laugh.</p>
<p>Rafael grinned at her. “I guess I’m really going to have to watch what I say now, aren’t I?”</p>
<p>Still smiling, Olivia leaned forward to give him another kiss. “Yes, but it could come in handy around a certain little boy who doesn’t speak the language yet.”</p>
<p>“Does this mean you’ll be helping with Spanish lessons?” Rafael asked before kissing her again.</p>
<p>Oliva was thoughtful as she contemplated Rafael’s question. It admittedly wasn’t something she had thought about before; she’d always pictured it being something Rafael and Noah did together. However, the thought of the two of them teaching it to Noah, like parents, warmed her heart. “If Noah wants me to, I will,” she decided, stealing another kiss from Rafael before taking his hand and lacing her fingers with his before leading him back out to the living room.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Later that night, once their friends had left and Noah was bathed, Olivia grabbed his favorite stuffed elephant while Rafael settled himself and Noah on the couch. They were treating Noah to a bedtime movie.</p>
<p>“I just realized something,” Olivia said as she joined them, handing the elephant to Noah and grabbing the nearby blanket.</p>
<p>“What’s that?” Rafael asked as Noah moved from the couch to his lap, momentarily distracting him.</p>
<p>“I want you to hold me,” the little boy said, leaning his head against Rafael’s chest as he held Eddie the elephant close.</p>
<p>“Okay, <em>amigo</em>, whatever you want.”</p>
<p>“Noah, sweet boy, do you remember who gave you Eddie?” Olivia prompted, deciding to let her son answer Rafael’s question.</p>
<p>“Rafa,” Noah answered.</p>
<p>“The missing piece was here all along.”</p>
<p>“Not missing,” Rafael said as Olivia curled into his side and he wrapped his free arm around her shoulders. “Just hiding in plain sight.”</p>
<p>Olivia smiled, giving Rafael a quick kiss before she settled her head on his shoulder and wrapped arm around Noah.</p>
<p>“Okay, <em>amigo</em>, press <em>play</em>,” Rafael instructed once the blanket was settled around them.</p>
<p>Smiling, Noah pressed the button and then handed the remote to his mother to set on the coffee table before settling back against Rafael.</p>
<p>Before long, all three of them were asleep, still cuddled together on the couch, the eventful day having finally caught up with them.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Spanish Translations:<br/>amigo: friend<br/>querida: dear<br/>cariño: sweetie/sweetheart<br/>dios: God<br/>Ven, mi amor. Tenemos amigos esperándonos: come, my love. We have friends waiting<br/>Sí, junto con Italiano, Francés y Húngaro: Yes, along with Italian, French, and Hungarian<br/>[I am by no means fluent in Spanish, only a basic understanding of the language, so most of these are straight from Google Translate, so my apologies if they're wrong]</p></blockquote></div></div>
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